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Behavioral and Mental Health: Gaps and Challenges

Pediatricians are often the first professionals parents turn to when their child needs behavioral or mental health services — because of their trusting doctor-patient relationship or to avoid the perceived stigma of going to a mental health professional. So when Alexis King’s* middle child needed mental health services, she looked for help where Simon* was already receiving care.

Integrating Behavioral & Mental Health into Your Practice

“It will take years for medical education systems to improve the preparation of pediatricians to prevent and manage behavioral and mental health problems,” Dr. Tayloe says. “But pediatricians do not need to wait until they are formally educated to begin addressing the epidemic now.”

- Dr. David Tayloe, Goldsboro (NC) Pediatrics

Suzanne K. Woods, MD, Named ABP Executive Vice President

Suzanne K. Woods, MD, has been named Executive Vice President of the American Board of Pediatrics (ABP).

Dr. Woods joined the ABP staff on Jan. 1, 2018, as Vice President of Credentialing and Initial Certification. The ABP Board of Directors approved her additional role on Feb. 15. She succeeds Gail A. McGuinness, MD, who retired Dec. 31, 2017.

New Year, New Leadership

The ABP extended a fond farewell in 2017 to Gail A. McGuinness, MD, and offers a warm welcome in 2018 to Suzanne K. Woods, MD.

Gail A. McGuinness, MD

Dr. McGuinness joined the ABP in 2002 as Senior Vice President of Examination Administration and Credentialing, responsible for exam administration, credentialing, oversight of the subboards, and new subspecialties. Also named Executive Vice President in 2006, she provided redundancy for internal operations activities for the President and CEO. In this role, she served as a voting member on the ABP Board of Directors and the ABP Foundation Board of Directors.

Pediatricians Now Have Option to Pay MOC Enrollment Fee Annually

Pediatricians who enroll or re-enroll in Maintenance of Certification (MOC) with the American Board of Pediatrics (ABP) may now choose to break up their fee into annual payments. Alternately, if they prefer, they may choose to pay the full 5-year fee up front when they enroll in a new MOC cycle.

“Some board-certified pediatricians have asked for this, and we are pleased to accommodate them while still maintaining the previous method of paying fees” said Virginia Moyer, MD, MPH.

A New Assessment Option Is Coming in 2019

Beginning in 2019, thanks to the work of more than 10,000 board-certified pediatrician volunteers, the American Board of Pediatrics (ABP) will offer a new way to fulfill the MOC Part 3 (exam) requirement: the Maintenance of Certification Assessment for Pediatrics, or MOCA-Peds.

MOCA-Peds is an online, non-proctored assessment platform. With the help of those pediatrician volunteers, MOCA-Peds was launched as a pilot in January 2017.  The pilot will continue as the platform is refined in 2018 before it goes live in 2019.

ABP Announces 2018 Paul V. Miles Fellowship Recipient

The American Board of Pediatrics (ABP) has selected Elizabeth (Cason) Benton, MD, to receive the 2018 Paul V. Miles (PVM) Fellowship Award, given annually to an accomplished mid-career pediatrician dedicated to improving the quality of health care for children. Dr. Benton is an Associate Professor of Pediatrics at the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) and founding Director of the Alabama Child Health Improvement Alliance (ACHIA).

Dr. Elizabeth Cason Benton

Dr. Thomas Boat Receives 2018 John Howland Award

The American Board of Pediatrics (ABP) congratulates Dr. Thomas F. Boat, who has been named 2018 John Howland Award recipient, the most prestigious award presented within the American Pediatric Society (APS).

Dr. Boat is Dean Emeritus of the College of Medicine at the University of Cincinnati, and Professor of Pediatrics, Division of Pulmonary Medicine, at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center, and was chair of the ABP Board of Directors in 1994.

NEJM Features Summary of Competency-Based Medical Education

The New England Journal of Medicine has published a perspective article featuring the American Board of Pediatrics Vice President, Dr. Carol Carraccio and her colleague, Dr. Deborah E. Powell. The piece outlines the recent evolution of competency-based medical education in pediatric training models and highlights the need for a more flexible training approach and timelines.

While the standards of education remain rigorous, the required timeframe in which to train and assess trainees may vary. The authors also stressed the importance of the continuum of education and proper assessment.

ABP Staff Member Wins National Partners in Healing Impact Award

Patience Leino, Senior Administrator for MOC External Activities at the American Board of Pediatrics (ABP), received a 2017 Partners in Healing Award from the Patients' View Institute (PVI). She received the award, together with the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (UNC) Medical Center, on Dec. 7, 2017.

Patience Leino with her son, Isaac